Jo Jefferies, member of SI Winchester, describes running in the London Marathon 2025. The picture illustrates how I (now) feel about my London Marathon experience, pure joy! It has unquestionably been the hardest mental and physical challenge that I have faced, and it was a privilege to have been a part of it.
When I got my ballot place last summer, it felt like an opportunity to do something that I had wanted to do for a really long time, but once I had been in contact with the team at Pancreatic Cancer UK, it became so much more. I was joining a fight against the deadliest common cancer in the UK, the one that had taken my Dad away from us, and which takes almost 800 people, every month, sometimes within days of diagnosis. Together, this year’s PCUK London Marathon Team has raised over £2.5M to support early testing and diagnosis, and for every penny of the £4,666 that you have helped me raise, THANK YOU!!
I so often said that this event wasn’t about the time I did it in, the day, when things didn’t go to plan and my time was bitterly disappointing, but soon after as I reflected and looked through the photographs I realised that it really wasn’t about time because this event, the months leading up to it, and the day itself were about love. The love for the person that was lost, or suffering (of which there were stories and dedications everywhere); the love and support of family and friends which was unconditional and overwhelming; the love in the countless messages of support the morning of the run; the love of the PCUK staff and team, and the love of complete strangers who yelled my name with words of encouragement when I was struggling, like I was one of their own.
This was an event like no other. A precious memory that will never be forgotten, and maybe, one day, I might be lucky enough to do it all again.